Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
common currency

common currency

2 3.9
A thing many people in a group accept or value
  • noun
translation icon : moneda común
  • The euro is a common currency used by many countries in Europe.
  • the advantage of a common currency
  • the lack of a common currency

Examples

  • Another objection is that a common currency would be premature, given the present heterogeneity of European national economies.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Economies need to be managed, and economies tied together by a common currency also need a common fiscal policy.

    Academic text (1996)

  • But it would also be the solution for the creation of a common currency for Europe.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The state of EU countries is due to the fact that there is a common currency.

    Blog text (34)

  • The voters are to decide on a common currency and a European central bank in another referendum in 1996.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The Euro becomes a common currency for the chosen few of EU economies.

    Blog text (12)

  • Furthermore, all the advantages of a common currency for Europe could be attained.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the euro.

    Blog text (31)

  • Achievement of a common currency is being touted as Europe's event of the century.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Adopting a common currency can simplify trade between nations.

Synonyms

currency
vscommon currency
35 3.3

Being widely accepted or used at a particular time

is about acceptance or value within a specific group rather than general currentness
coin of the realm
vscommon currency
1 7.5

A thing people value and use to show success or trust in a group

is about wide common acceptance rather than being highly prized or prestigious

Surface Forms

common currency singular
common currencies plural

Morphology

common + currency

The phrase combines the adjective 'common' (shared/widespread) with 'currency' understood in its extended sense of something accepted or in circulation; the overall meaning 'widely accepted or used' follows directly from this composition. It is a straightforward adjective + noun construction and this metaphorical extension is readily inferable from the constituent meanings, so learners who know both words will grasp the MWE.

Etymology

Common currency comes from the picture of money that everyone in a place will use: common meaning shared and currency meaning money. So when something is called a 'common currency', it means a thing many people accept, use, or value and that helps them trade ideas or build friendships.